Love's Journey
by MedicWarrickLvr
Summary: A complex and dramatic journey of love for two couples. Sometimes it takes possible death to make you realize what is in your heart. Is it already too late for one couple? MacStella pairing and also DannyLindsay pairing.
1. The Journey Begins

_**Author:** Susan_

_**Disclaimer**: Don't own any of these characters and hopefully will not disgrace their personalities in my writing!_

_**A/N:** This will end up being Mac/Stella and Danny/Lindsay. There's just somewhat of a journey to get to the love part. Bear with me and please R & R. Feedback makes the world go round!_

_**Love's Journey**_

Detective Don Flack is pacing the roof wondering what in the world is taking the CSI's so long. He's got a teenage jumper on the edge and the girl's psychiatrist is getting nowhere. Flack seems to think to himself that it's no wonder the girls wants to jump. This chick with her soothing voice is enough to make him consider jumping himself.

Mac and Stella come out of the roof doorway slowly and Flack puts up a hand to slow them even more. Mac looks over the situation and says, "What do we got?" Stella feels her heart rate jump about 20 points when she sees the young blond girl standing on the pillar waving her hands at the woman who must be the psychiatrist. Flack explains to the CSI's that the girl is Ashley Cordell, a 16 year old runaway from a single parent home who was prostituting herself and had been beaten up by a client the night before. Stella feels her heart breaking as Flack continues, "Apparently the guy got pretty rough and now she has decided she can't handle that lifestyle and she can't go back home so she is threatening to jump. "I swear ta God Mac, you gotta do somethin'. This psychiatrist and her damned soothing voice is making me want to jump!" Mac tells the officer guarding the door to the roof that Danny and Lindsay should be on their way from another case and to not let them bumble through the door.

Mac takes a step forward and Stella eases up behind him. He quietly asks the psychiatrist what her name is. "I'm Melinda Abbott and I have been Ashley's counselor for two years and she has never done anything like this and………" Mac puts up a hand. "Ms. Abbott, go over there with Detective Flack and take a rest. I'll take it from here." Melinda Abbott starts to protest and Stella adds in, "This is non-negotiable Melinda. Step back."

"Ashley, my name is Det. Mac Taylor and I'm not going to come any closer right now. I just want to talk to you. I want to help you."

"Mr. Taylor you can't help me now. It's too late. I'm just tired. Tired of all this and I'm done. I'm going to solve a lot of problems for my Mom and for everyone else too." Ashley says in a voice that is entirely too calm. Mac inches a step closer. "Call me Mac. It's shorter. Can I ask you a question?" Ashley for the first time makes eye contact with Mac. "What?" she says looking at him and sizing him up.

"Ashley, if I have to call your Mom later this afternoon and tell her that you have jumped off of a building and splattered your brains all over the sidewalk, do you honestly think that is going to solve a problem?" Mac watched her as she flinched at his directness about the brains splattering. He is well aware that she hasn't thought this through very well. He glances back at Stella who nods that she's gotten the message too. Before she can form an answer, Mac continues, "And another thing to consider is that this building is only 4 stories high. What if it doesn't kill you?" Ashley's eyes get really large. "What?" she says looking behind her. Mac inches another step closer and motions for Stella to stay put. "Ashley, I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to think this through. Four stories is not necessarily enough to kill you. You could do some severe damage and injury and then still live and then someone has to take care of you. How's that - not only for your Mom, but for you to have to depend on someone else?" Mac says quietly but firmly. He sees realization flicker in Ashley's face. Mac slowly continues, "I know that what happened to you last night was horrible. If you will let me, I can catch this guy and put him away where he can't hurt you anymore." Ashley snorts, "No you can't. I gave it to him. I just didn't know he was going to be so rough and then after all that crap he only gave me $50. But he paid me. Job done. That's not illegal."

Mac inches a step closer and as Ashley backs up he puts a hand up quickly. "Ashley! Listen to me! You are a minor, what he did is considered rape and assault and I can go after him. I can only do something if you will help me though." Ashley begins to let tears slide down her cheeks simply from hearing a man with a kind voice. How long has it been since she's heard anything like that. Mac continues, "I know that you don't trust people and I know that people have hurt you. You don't know me, Ashley, but I keep my word. You can trust me. I will help you. My partner, Stella, she wants to help you. If you will let us, we will do everything we can to help you and keep you safe."

Stella breathes a small breath of relief because she can see that Mac is getting through to this troubled young girl. She admires seeing Mac in this kind of role. He could be the tenderest man in the world when it came to hurting girls or women. She tries to focus on Ashley and the situation rather than Mac and his talents!

Ashley contemplates what Mac is telling her. She wants to trust this man so bad. She knows it would devastate her mother if she killed herself and she can't stop thinking about what Mac has said. What if she doesn't die? She looks at Mac and watches his eyes. She thinks to herself that his eyes are not hard like most of the men she's seen. Definitely not like any of the nasty men who'd been her clients in the past few weeks. This detective, this Mac, his eyes seem almost sad.

"Ashley, I'm asking you to trust me." Mac says quietly. "Let me walk up to you and take your hand and help you down. We can sit down and talk this through. Let's just come down from there and let all of these other people go home." Ashley chews her bottom lip and looks at Mac intently. She looks at the beautiful woman behind him who is ever so slightly nodding her head at her.

"Ok, I'll come down, but I swear to God if you lie to me, I'm coming right back up here and I won't hesitate to jump." Ashley says trying to sound tough. Mac looks her directly in the eye and says, "I won't let you down."

Ashley starts down from the pillar she is standing on to come down to the ledge and step off. Mac starts toward her to help her because there is not a lot of room and the pillar is high. Ashley tries to sit down on the pillar to come down and loses her balance. She wobbles on the edge and Mac reaches to grab her. She panics and pulls Mac hard trying to hang on and he tries his best to hold on to her and swing her around. Mac can vaguely hear Flack yelling his name and Stella screaming as he realizes that they are both going to fall. He makes a split second decision to shove Ashley back toward the roof as he feels himself go over the ledge. In the split second he is falling he sees Danny and Lindsay on the ground running toward him and screaming. Then everything goes black…………..

_**Well, there was obviously no romance yet and no Danny and Lindsay yet. Does Mac live or die? This may be a fairly complex story and though I'd prefer it to be short, I don't know that it can be.** **This idea has been looming in my head for quite some time and frankly, I was scared to write it. I don't want to have the characters out of character and just am not sure how this is going to fly. Stick with me to get the storyline set up and the romance will come. PLEASE R&R and pass the word out! I can do so much better with feedback! The next Chapter will be up later tonight I hope! I'm already working on it! Let me know what you think!**_


	2. Life Hanging in the Balance

_A/N Thank you for the reviews! This chapter is a little longer. Please R&R and let me know what you think!_

**Chapter 2 Life Hanging in the Balance**

Danny and Lindsay run up to Mac as he lay lifeless on the ground. He has blood coming from the back of his head. Danny leans down and checks Mac's pulse as the paramedics come over with the stretcher. Lindsay breathes a small "thank you" at the fact that they had an ambulance on the scene in case the girl jumped.

Stella is screaming Danny's name from the roof, Danny can hear someone screaming, "Oh My God!" over and over in the background. Flack yells at Danny to tell them something.

Danny looks up and with the shakiest voice Lindsay has ever heard yells, "He's got a pulse. He won't respond. You guys better come down here.We need to get to the hospital."

Danny reaches over and takes Lindsay's trembling hand as they watch the paramedics load Mac up and wait for the others to get to the bottom. "You OK, Montana?" Danny inquires shakily. Lindsay squeezes his hand. "Yeah. Are you?" Danny simply nods and chews his bottom lip. He knows he should let Lindsay's hand go but at this moment, he needs someone to hold on to and he figures that she may need that stability as well. He isn't sure who is shaking more, Lindsay or him.

Stella and Flack come running towards them. An officer comes behind them with Ashley who is still screaming and crying in their custody. Stella is about to literally fall down. Danny tells Lindsay to stay with Stella and he walks over to Ashley. Danny says to her, "Listen to me kid. Mac's gonna be OK. I want you to go with Detective Flack and as soon as we can, we will come back and get some more information from you." She looks up at Danny with tears streaming, "I'm so sorry. He was just trying to help me." Danny swallows the anger that rises up in his throat. "Yes he was. Don't make it in vain. Go with Flack and do exactly what he tells you." Ashley nods her head and as Flack takes her he says to Danny, "I'm coming to the hospital as soon as I can. Call me, Messer." Danny nods, "I'll call ya man."

Danny loads the girls up and drives them to the hospital. Lindsay and Stella are in the back seat and Stella is just looking out the window with tears streaming. Lindsay has both arms around Stella and she is crying too. Danny knows he needs to say something but he is so afraid that if he opens his mouth, he will lose all composure too.

_**Danny** tries to reign in his thoughts. He cannot believe that their leader is possibly dying. Four friggin stories! His head was bleeding so badly! How can he survive this? What would they do without Mac? Mac is always so calm, cool, and collected. Mac is the strong one_. _My God, he looked so lifeless. Why the hell are these people driving so slow! He's got to be OK. I can't imagine not working for Mac. Even though I've fought with him, I want to be just like him. I need him to teach me! I've got so much left to learn from this man!_

**Lindsay** tries to figure out when everything got so out of control. She and Danny got the call to come to a jumper on the roof and as they are getting out of the SUV, they see Mac trying to catch a falling teenager and lose balance and fall himself. Good God, he didn't even scream! Lindsay can still remember that he looked straight at them. Danny took off in a run like he was going to catch him in midair. She couldn't even move. Then she heard Stella and the girl both screaming. Hell, maybe she was screaming too. If only she could get Stella to stop shaking. She is really worried because Stella isn't saying a word. Lindsay almost feels like an outsider because she is the new one in this crew. Stella and Danny have known Mac for longer and she knows they are terrified. She knows this because her own heart is pounding out of her chest. Her fearless leader, the one she admires more than anyone she's ever worked with or for is hanging in the balance. She can't even entertain the thought of him dying. Oh my God, he has to be OK!

_**Stella** wonders why she can't form a thought in her head. _

_My God, I cannot even think straight! I should have grabbed him! It happened so fast! He was over before I could even think twice. Is he going to die? Oh God, please listen to me. I will do anything…………ANYTHING………..don't let him die! He is the only person in this world that I truly trust. He is our leader. He is the glue to this team. God, we need him. **I need him**. There is so much that I've never had the guts to say. God please, give me the chance to say it. If you will let him live God, I won't be afraid. I'll tell him how much I need him. I'll tell him that I am in love with him. I'll come clean God. I won't waste any more precious time. Please just let him be OK. God I beg you with all that I am_.

A sob escapes from Stella and Lindsay squeezes her tighter. Danny looks in the rearview mirror. "We're here Stell! I'm pulling in the parking lot now. Hang in there. Mac's gonna be OK."

Danny parks the car and helps the women get out. The three CSI's quietly and quickly walk through the door. Sheldon Hawkes comes in right behind them. "My God, what happened?" he says. Danny fills him in quickly with the short version while Lindsay asks at the desk about Mac. The nurse guides them to the family room and tells them she will get the doctor. Stella goes through the door and breaks down. "We are in the family room! This is where they bring people to tell them their loved one is dead. He cannot be dead!" Sheldon grabs Stella into a bear hug. "Stella. Calm down. Let's sit down. They know who we are and want to give us privacy. That's all. Let's just sit down and wait a minute." Sheldon sits Stella down and keeps a hand on her knee. Danny and Lindsay sit on the opposite couch, neither knowing what to say. Sheldon looks to Danny. "Danny, how bad was it?" Danny shakes his head, "I don't know man. There was a hell of a lot of blood. I kept saying his name and he wouldn't answer me. I even slapped his face a little without moving his head and he didn't respond to me at all." Sheldon let out a breath. "Where all was he bleeding from?" Danny raked his fingers through his hair. "From the back of the head. There was so much blood." Sheldon said, "Any other blood?" Danny got up and started to pace. "No, Hawkes! That's all I saw! God, isn't that enough?" Sheldon quietly says, "Yeah, Danny, that's enough. I'm just trying to gage how bad this is." Lindsay watches Danny pace and then asks him to come back and sit down. He looks over at her puppy dog eyes and sees the fear radiating through them. He goes back and sits down next to her. She reaches over and takes his hand. He looks over at her and she looks a little unsure about the move. Danny gives her the smallest smile he can muster and squeezes her hand.

The doctor walks in and the entire group seems to hold their breath. The doctor looks around the room. "Is anyone here family?" Danny stands up and says, "With all due respect sir, we are all his family and the only family he's got right now." The doctor nods his head and continues, "He has a pretty significant head injury. I am blown away that nothing is broken. His left shoulder was dislocated, but we were able to pop it back into place without any effort. There is some swelling on the brain already and I can't rule out possible bleeding. The next 12-24 hours will be critical." Sheldon is trying to take everything in. Stella looks up and asks with more strength than any of them knew she had, "Is he going to die, Doctor?" The doctor blows out his breath. "Ma'am, I can't honestly answer that yet. Like I said, the next few hours will be critical. We will know more when and if he regains consciousness. I'll do another CT Scan in a few hours. What I can tell you is that he is healthy and strong and I'll do everything I can to save him."

"Can we see him?" Danny asks. The doctor hesitates. "Let my nurses finish cleaning him up and if I can get him stabilized………..then in a few minutes I'll let you come in one at a time for just a minute or two each. Is that fair?" They all nodded silently.

Stella shaky hand goes up to her mouth. "He's alive. Oh thank You God, He's alive!" Tears begin to stream again. Danny looks to Sheldon. "What can you tell us beyond what he did?" Sheldon thinks for a moment. "Not really anything. It will be touch and go until they can gage how bad the brain is going to swell. There isn't a lot of room up there for swelling. Mac is strong though. I think he will fight this." Each of the CSI's sit quietly and wait.

Danny remembers that he needs to call Flack and needs to call the office. He is a little surprised at the irony. He always assumed that if anything ever happened with Mac that Stella would take over. As he looks over at his mentor and friend, he knows that is not going to happen. He dials Flack's number and hears it ring outside the door just as it opens. "I'm here," Flack says. He sits down and Sheldon gives him the update. Danny calls the office and asks them to pass the word and have everyone stay away until they know more. He hangs up his phone and feels such a weight on his shoulders. He knows that they've called in the other shift but tomorrow they will be expected to be back at work. At least some of them.

"How's Ashley?" Stella asks quietly. Flack looks incredulously at Stella. "She's upset. She knows this is all her fault," he replies flippantly, "Are you worried about her?" Stella gives a half laugh. "No, I'm pretty pissed at her, but if I go in there and Mac wakes up, the first thing he will ask me is how Ashley is." Flack looks at his feet. "You're right about that," He says as he gives Stella a small smile. Stella has a single tear rolling as she says in a powerfully strong voice, "Mac's life may be hanging in the balance, but he'd do it all over again to save the teenager. We can't blame her and be angry because Mac wouldn't be."

To Be Continued…………….only if you read and review! More Danny and Lindsay in the upcoming chapters!


	3. Not Promised Tomorrow

_A/N Thanks so much for all of the reviews! You all are too nice! Glad you like the story. I hope it doesn't get boring. Finally some D/L in this chapter! I told you it was coming! Please keep reviewing if you want more!_

**Chapter 3 Not Promised Tomorrow**

Dr. Collins comes back in after about 30 minutes and tells the crew they can go in one at a time to see Mac. He tells them that he is still unconscious, but encourages them to talk to him and touch him. The team all looked at Stella to go first.

Stella walks in the room and tries to be strong. She wants to laugh at how weak she feels right now. Everyone thinks she is so strong, but boy has she shown them different today, she thinks to herself. Little did they know the fear that was in her heart right now. She'd done a good job of hiding her heart, even with Mac. She feels that now it must be all out in the open. She can't imagine that they can't see the love she has in her heart and the fear of losing it before it has even been given a chance to bloom. She has been so afraid that Mac would never return the love that she's just tried to let him have his time to get over Claire and notice her. She knows there are times when he notices her. She reaches down now and takes his hand. She swallows the bile that is rising up in her throat. Never in her life has she seen Mac Taylor so pale and lifeless. The very sight makes her want to fall down in the floor and weep. She rubs a finger over Mac's hand. She leans down close to him.

"Mac. Can you hear me? It's Stella. (she rolls her eyes) I know you know that. You scared the hell out of me, Mac. (she fights to control her voice and keeps rubbing his hand.) I need you to fight with everything you have. I need you, Mac Taylor. There is so much I need to say to you. I need the chance to say so many things. Come back to me. Let me tell you all the things I should have a long time ago. (Tears start sliding down her cheeks again.) This isn't about just work anymore. You are a dynamic co-worker and an excellent boss, but Mac, you are so much more to me. I think you know that. I think we have danced around it for quite a while. I thought I was going to lose you today, Mac, and I'm through dancing around this. Wake up! I want to tell you everything that is in my heart. I need you to hear me."

Stella fights back the sobs when he doesn't move or even flinch. She realizes that her tears are wetting his hospital gown and she absently reaches down and wipes his chest where the gown is wet. She leans down and kisses his cheek. "Come back to me Mac."

She slowly walks out of the room and back down the hall.

Stella walks back in and sits down as Sheldon goes in to see Mac. Flack, Danny and Lindsay watch Stella sit down. "You OK, Stell?" Danny says. Stella nods her head. Flack tells her he is going to get everyone coffee. Stella smiles up at him. "Don, you always have to be DOING something." He shrugs and grins. "Do ya want coffee or not?" Stella laughs through her tears and says, "I'd love some." Lindsay gets up and sits down next to Stella. "Is there anything I can do?" Stella wiped her nose and says, "We are all scared and worried. This isn't all about me. We're all in this together." Lindsay looks over to Danny who has a "Yeah, right" smirk on his face. "You really care about him, don't you?" Lindsay asks Stella. Stella starts to so her usual denial about how she feels about Mac and immediately remembers her plea with God earlier. "Yes. Lindsay. I care about Mac more than I even realized and as soon as he wakes up, I plan to tell him that. If there is anyone you haven't told how much they mean to you, I'd suggest you do it. We certainly aren't promised tomorrow and that was brought home to me in a hard way today." Lindsay looks over at Danny to find he is looking right at her. She finds that she can't look away from him. Danny gives her a small smile and gets up as he sees Sheldon coming out. Each took their turn going in to see Mac. After Flack comes back out, Dr. Collins comes out and tells them they will be moving Mac up to the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU). They won't be able to visit with him again until morning. He tells them there is a family waiting room but suggests they go home and rest.

Stella tells the group to go home and she will stay. She knows she can't leave in case something happens. Sheldon tells her he will stay with her because he is off tomorrow and he knows that Mac isn't out of the woods yet and doesn't want her there alone. Flack hugs her and takes his leave to go back by the station and be sure they got Ashley into the teen shelter they'd gotten her in for the night. Danny and Lindsay hug Stella and Danny tells Lindsay he will take her home.

Danny and Lindsay are really quiet on the drive to her apartment. Each are thinking of the million things they want to say to each other. Danny pulls in the driveway and feels physically sick that he hasn't opened his mouth. Lindsay looks at him quickly before she can chicken out and says, "You want to come up for coffee? I don't think I am ready to go to sleep yet?" Danny breathes a sigh of relief. "I'd love too. I'm not quite ready to go home yet. I'm afraid when I close my eyes all I am gonna see is Mac fallin'. " Lindsay nods as they walk upstairs. "I know. Me too."

They make coffee and sit down on the sofa. Lindsay kicks her feet up and Danny absently reaches over and pulls them in his lap and starts rubbing her feet. She grins in spite of herself because Danny is still in another world and doesn't even realize he's done it. "Nice touch, Messer," She says. Danny's face reddens as he realizes what he's done. "Well, Montana, you made the coffee. I can at least earn my keep," He says grinning at her. Lindsay decides to start talking. "You know…………I hated it so bad when you called me Montana when I first got here." Danny bit his bottom lip. "I know. That's why I did. I wanted to get a rise out of ya." Lindsay laughs, "And then you had me calling Mac "sir" for crying out loud." Danny laughs out loud. "Yeah, that was pretty damned funny." He looks at her. "Does it still bother you when I call you Montana?" She thinks about it for a minute. "No. I kinda like it now. I don't think you say it in the same tone of voice." She peers over her coffee cup at him. He stops rubbing her feet and looks at her. "I miss you when you're not around, _Montana_." Lindsay feels her heart skip a beat. "That's good to know, Messer. I miss you when you're not around too. I even miss that silly assed smirk." Danny tries to look offended, "I don't smirk." Lindsay howls with laughter. They sit there and smile at each other for what seems like a very long time. Lindsay figures since she is out on that limb, she'll step out a little further. "Danny, can I ask you something?" He nods and says, "Shoot…………." Lindsay bites her bottom lip and says quietly, " I'm not making a sexual advance at you or anything, but I am really afraid that I am going to dream about Mac falling tonight and I really don't want to be alone. Would you stay here tonight?" Danny grins, shrugs his shoulders trying to look cool and says, "I'd be OK with the sexual advance." Lindsay laughed and smacked him. "Danny…………..I'm serious." Danny laughed. "So am I! But yeah…………I'll stay. I'll even sleep on the couch. I'll even be a good boy. Can I at least have a raincheck on the sexual advance though?" he whines. Lindsay grins and raises an eyebrow. "We'll see."

She goes to put her pajamas on and comes back with blankets and a pillow. Danny tries not to lick his lips when he sees her in the pink cotton pants and pale pink tank top that said _PRINCESS_ on it. He raises an eyebrow and grins, "Princess huh?" Lindsay throws the pillow at him.

Lindsay is laying in her bed wondering why she can't sleep. She's dozed once but saw Mac falling as soon as her eyes closed. She had caught herself from yelling out because she didn't want to wake Danny up. She heard Danny get up and go into the bathroom. So much for waking him up she thought………….

She hears the toilet flush and when he opens the door she says, "You can't sleep either?" Danny comes to the door and pushes it open. "Nah. Not really." Lindsay can see his plaid boxers and firm chest in the moonlight. She tries to control what her body is feeling. "You OK?" she says to him. "Yeah, I'm OK. Ya know, Monroe, you really do look like a princess laying there like that." Lindsay blushed in the dark. "You look pretty hot yourself in the moonlight Danny." Danny walks in and sits on the side of the bed. "We really need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day. Stella is gonna be exhausted." Lindsay pulls up the covers. "Maybe if you just lay close to me, I'll feel more relaxed." Danny looks at her, "You sure?" She tries to slow her heart down, "Yeah." Danny slides in and then turns to her. "Can I hold you?" Lindsay scoots over into his arms and says, "I thought you'd never ask." She loves the feel of his chest when he gives a low gravelly laugh. He kisses her forehead and says, "Goodnight, Princess.".

They were both asleep within minutes.

**Please read and review!**


	4. A Time to Live and a Time to Die

_A/N Thanks for all the reviews and for the comments! Thanks for the positive feedback on keeping these guys in character. That's really important to me even though I'm pushing them a little. I think after all that "trauma", that they could all be vulnerable enough to realize how much they care. I'll continue on with that if you guys will continue on with the feedback! You are all awesome! Susan_

**Chapter 4 A Time to Live and a Time to Die**

_7 AM the next morning…………_

Dr. Collins walks into the family waiting area looking for Stella. He nudges her to wake her up and she reaches over to wake Sheldon up as well. Dr. Collins tells her that Mac is going to live. He says the swelling on Mac's brain has gone from a very dangerous 16 down to an 8.This upgrades him to Guarded condition instead of critical. He tells her they have taken him off the respirator and he is breathing on his own and that they are backing off of some of the medicine keeping him sedated.Dr. Collins says he is hoping that he will wake up soon, and surely sometime today. He tells Stella she can go in a little early to visit because they are going to be taking Mac to CT Scan shortly and he will be going off duty and Dr. Johnson will be taking over for the day shift. . Stella breathes a sigh of relief. She swallows down the nausea because this isn't a bad dream but reality. She fights a new wave of tears but reaches up to shake the doctor's hand and thank him.

Sheldon reaches over and takes Stella's hand, 'See there. He's getting better! You go in and see him. I'm going to call Danny, Lindsay, Flack, and the office and then I'll go home and shower and be back for the later morning visiting time. Do you need anything?" Stella shakes her head no, hugs Sheldon and heads into the STICU.

She walks into Mac's room and can't help but gasp out loud because his face is swollen and black and purple from forehead all the way down his neck. She can see a small blood stain on the pillow where the staples in the back of his head have seeped blood. She sucks in the tears and sits down, taking Mac's hand.

"Here we are again. You look like you lost the fight, Taylor." She smiles through her tears. She makes small talk and tells him who all has been by to see him and where they all are now. She is rubbing his hand the whole time. "My God, I'm just rambling aren't I? Do I always talk this much?" Stella felt Mac's hand move in hers.

"Mac! Can you hear me?" she says loudly. Mac flinches and his hand squeezes hers lightly. Stella starts laughing and crying at the same time. "Mac!" She says his name over and over. His eyelids finally flutter open as much as they can with his eyes swollen that much. Stella leans over him and says, "Hi there big guy." Mac winces and tries to focus on her face. Stella pushes the nurse's button and keeps talking to him. He can't seem to wake up, but keeps fighting to open his eyes.

The nurse comes in and Stella tells her he is waking up. The nurse checks the monitor and speaks to Mac. He doesn't look toward her but continues to move. The nurse tells Stella that he is waking up and doing well. She warns Stella that he may be very confused and may not remember the accident. She tells Stella to just keep talking to him and hit the button if she feels she needs the nurse back in. She tells her that Dr. Johnson would be doing rounds shortly and would be in. Stella just keeps nodding and crying. The nurse smiles and pats Stella's arm on the way out. "You're husband is waking up. It's your voice giving him the strength. Just keep talking to him."

"He's not my……………" replies Stella but the nurse was gone before she could get it out.

Stella focused her attention back on Mac. "Look at me, Mac. Open your eyes." She could see him struggle and fight to open his eyes and focus on her. "My God, Mac, you are ever the Marine. What a fighter. Open your eyes! Come on!" His eyes fluttered again and finally stayed open.

"Stella?" he says in a very raspy voice and as soon as he does he flinches in pain.

"Mac, it's OK! You've had a tube in your throat and it's probably very sore. Just try not to talk much."

Mac tries to look around the room. "Hospital?" he says and flinches again. He tries to reach up and touch his face.

Stella grabs his other hand in hers as well. "Yes. You're in the intensive care unit. Try to stay still. Are you in pain?" Mac shakes his head no and Stella snorts, "You are such a liar, Mac Taylor." He tried to smile.

Stella, without even realizing it, reaches up and brushes his hair with her fingers. "Do you remember what happened?" She holds her breath watching Mac trying to think. She can see the confusion on his face. She doesn't know how much she should tell him because she doesn't want to upset him. She tries to jog his memory, "Ashley? She is the girl who was going to jump from the roof?" She sees recognition in his eyes.

"Is she OK?" he rasps. Stella fights the tears again because she knows this selfless man so well. He's always worried about someone else.

"Yes, damn you. Ashley is safe and she is fine. You are the one who fell off the roof!" Stella says with a very shaky voice.

Mac winces and tries to rise up. Stella puts her hand on his chest to stop him.

"You cannot get up Mac! You have wires hooked up everywhere and an IV."

Mac looks confused again, "I've got to go."

Stella looks at him incredulously. "Go where?" she shrieks.

"To work. I hate hospitals." He replies in a weak yet very matter of fact voice.

Stella throws her hands up. "I do not believe you, Mac Taylor! You can't get up and you can't go to work! You have a gash and staples in the back of your head and you have swelling on your brain. Last night, we didn't even know if you were going to live! I'm sorry you hate hospitals, but you are NOT getting up."

The monitor next to Mac's bed started beeping and the nurse rushed in. Stella's heart went to her throat. The nurse hit the silence button on the monitor. She patted his hand and said, "Detective Taylor, your heart rate is too high. I need you to calm down. It is very important that you rest right now."

Mac laid back and said, "I have to go." Stella looked at the nurse in a state of panic. The nurse quietly tells Stella she is going to go get him some more medicine so he will calm down. Stella can't stop the tears from falling.

"Mac please! Stay still. They are trying to help you. You can't even stand up right now." She pleads with him.

Mac focuses on Stella. "You are crying. You look like hell." Stella laughs in spite of herself and says, "Thanks Mac. I can always count on you! You look pretty rough yourself."

The nurse comes back in the room and pushes a syringe into Mac's IV. She quietly tells Stella that it will make him groggy, possibly talking out of his head even more and will make him sleep. She tells Stella that visiting hours are almost over anyway. Stella nods and thanks her.

"I heard that." Mac says. Stella grins at him. "You are a horrible patient, Detective."

She can see Mac's eyes getting heavier. "Get some rest Mac. We'll talk more later."

Mac tries to form words, "Got to………………..go…………..work." Stella can't decide if she wants to hug him or punch him. She leans down close to him and says, "Go to sleep, Mac."

Mac's next move shocks Stella to her core. She wonders how much of it is the medication when Mac reaches for her hand and when she takes his hand he says groggily, "Stella……………..don't leave me…………."

Stella tries to speak through the lump in her throat. "I'll be here, Mac." His hand relaxes and she lets it go. She can't take her eyes off him. She touches her fingers to her lips and brushes her fingers across his cheek.

She walks back out to the waiting area in a daze. She has never seen Mac so vulnerable. Mac is always the one in control and this is so out of character for him. She isn't sure how to handle it. She is so worried about him trying to get out of that bed! She is worried that he won't be OK. She's worried that her strong Mac won't be back anytime soon. She is worried that now that he can look her in the eye, she may never be able to really tell him how she feels. She decides that before she goes back to waiting area to face Danny and Lindsay that she will go to the Chapel, light some candles, and pray. She needs all the help she can get right now and Mac needs the healing!

**TBC! PLEASE R & R!**


	5. Waiting

_A/N Thanks so much for continuing to read and review this story. A special thank you to **fruitbat00** for helping me decide how "frantic" vs. strong to make Stella in the upcoming chapters. I really appreciate your help! You guys are all very kind! Here's more…………This one is kind of short!_

**Chapter 5 Waiting**

Stella enters the waiting area to see Flack with Starbuck's coffee and Danny and Lindsay sitting down waiting. "Hey guys. He's awake!" she says with a tired smile. Flack hands her coffee. She winks at him and says, "Damn, you're a good man!"

Flack grins at her and puffs his chest out. "Hey! I know how to take care of a woman!" Danny snorts. Flack raises an eyebrow and hands Danny a coffee. "You wanna wear yours Messer?" Lindsay and Stella look at each other and laugh. Lindsay thanks Flack as he hands her coffee and look to Stella. "How is he, Stella? Really…………"

Stella slowly takes a sip of her coffee. "Stubborn as hell. He wants to go to work." She says with a grin as all 3 faces look at her with complete shock. Then she laughs. "I'm glad to see I am not the only one horrified by that! You guys know how independent and in control Mac always has to be. Being in a hospital is a bad thing for him, not to mention it surfacing a million memories about looking for Claire. Plus he's totally out of control and he doesn't like that. He's still a little confused. He had a hard time remembering what happened, but as soon as I said Ashley's name he wanted to know how she was."

Flack snorted, "With no hint of anger I'm sure." Stella nodded and smiled at them. "You know Mac…………"

Stella continued, "So when he kept trying to get out of the bed, the nurse gave him something more to calm him down. He went back to sleep. Hopefully by the next visiting time he will be more alert."

Danny looked off into the distance and tried to make a joke, "Gotta love that Ativan. Is he OK Stella? I mean his mind. I know head injuries……………" he let his voice trail off.

Stella sat down next to Danny. "I think so Danny. He seemed coherent all considering. Dr. Collins said this morning that the swelling in his brain had dropped by half and he was really pleased with that. I don't see any reason why he won't fully recover. Now how long the road may be, I'm not sure."

Lindsay says, "How can you be so strong Stella? You've got to be exhausted and you are so positive." Stella gives a half laugh, "No, Lindsay. I'm scared as hell. I just can't let myself think anything beyond him being OK. I can't handle any other alternative." Stella tries not to let them notice the knot tightening in her throat.

Flack watches Stella intently. "Stella, there's time before the next visiting hours. Why don't you go home and shower and take a nap. Hawkes said he would be back here within the hour. He was just going by the office to check in and get some stuff from Hammerback. I'll stay here until he gets back."

Stella doesn't want to leave, but knows she'll feel better if she showers. She sighs, "I guess I need to do that. Mac told me I looked like hell." She grinned at the memory. Danny jumps in and says, "Ah, Stel, you always look like a million bucks." Flack and Lindsay both roll their eyes at Danny. "You look fine Stella. Just exhausted, "Lindsay says.

Stella goes home to shower. Flack is on the phone checking in. Danny looks at Lindsay, "Wanna take a walk?" Lindsay jumps up quickly. "I thought you'd never ask! I hate hospitals too. I want to get outside for a while." They walk in silence trying to decide how much they need to say about last night.

"So, are we going to talk about last night?" Lindsay says quietly looking at Danny.

Danny shrugs, "Whaddya mean? We got through a tough time together. Is that bad?" Lindsay tries not to show the hurt. "Is that what it was? Just getting through a tough time?" she says. "Yeah, sure," Danny says.

Lindsay starts to walk away from him and tries not to cry. Danny finally realizes that he must be giving all the wrong answers and tries to catch up with her. "Montana, hold up. What is this all about?"

She whirls around on him. "Nothing, Danny. It's all good. I shouldn't be shocked. This is you. You're always so nonchalant about everything. Just so you know though…………..I don't let just anyone spend the night at my house and most certainly not in my bed."

Danny looks shocked. "Lindsay, I…………I'm not………….I know that!" He doesn't even know what to say. He feels like nothing is going to be the right answer and he has never been able to read a woman's mind. "I didn't try to………….there was no sexual advance remember?" he tries to joke.

Lindsay half laughs and rolls her eyes. "Danny, this has nothing to do with sex! I just wanted to think that maybe……………just maybe…………….last night was special to you."

"Lindsay, it WAS! I loved every minute of it. I don't think I could have made it through last night without you. What the hell do you want me to say?"

Lindsay starts to cry and even more than the tears is the frustration that she knows she is being such a drama queen. All the emotion of Mac falling and near death and realizing how much she cares about Danny has just made her emotions go into overdrive. She just can't seem to help herself. "Danny, when I was laying there last night in your arms, I kept thinking what if it had been you that fell and had your life hanging in the balance. I don't like the fear that made me feel. I don't like how much it upset me. I don't like how much that means that I have feelings for you. And more than anything, I don't like the fact that I have no idea if you feel the same way. You are more than a co-worker to me, Danny, and that makes me so angry!" she says in complete frustration.

Danny licks his lips and tries to hide his smile. He walks up to Lindsay and puts his arms around her and pulls her into a hug. He kisses her hair. "Just for the record, Montana, I realized last night how much I care about you too. I'm just not nearly as pissed off about it as you are." She pokes him in the stomach and slips a little giggle. He pulls her back, wipes a tear and looks at her.

"It felt good to lie next to you and hold you last night. It felt …………..right. I think I would be very disappointed if it never happened again. I don't know where this is headed, but I do care and last night was special to me too. I hope it was just the beginning …………" he says. Then he hesitates a minute, raises an eyebrow, gives her his dorky grin and says, "Is that better?"

She grins and cocks her head. "Much better………… I just wanted to know I wasn't having these feelings alone, ya know? We work together every day and I've had a hard time getting you off my mind today even as worried as I've been about Mac. I just needed to know it wasn't just me."

They turn to walk back to the hospital and he slips an arm around her. "It's not just you" They walk a little way in silence, then he sticks his tongue in his cheek and decides to push his luck, "Besides………………I still have a rain check to collect on a sexual advance!"

Lindsay laughs out and pulls away from him! She walks backwards and teasingly says, "You haven't even kissed me, Messer. How do you know I want to have sex with you?"

He grabs her and pulls her to him. He gets right up to her face so she can feel his breath on her face. He leans down and pulls her lips into his mouth. He parts her lips with his tongue and slowly slides it in her mouth. He explores her mouth and caresses her back at the same time. He feels her melt in his arms and feels the moan escape her mouth more than he hears it. He closes the kiss and pulls just far enough away to look at her. "You want me." He says with a grin and starts walking again.

Lindsay reaches up to touch her lips and follows him trying to clear her head. "Damn you, Danny." He laughs and takes her hand. They give each other a knowing smile and walk back inside to prepare to go see Mac.

_I'm not sure I like this chapter! It seems a little boring to me. I just needed a filler in between some other stuff! Just bear with me and keep reading! Please keep reviewing and leaving feedback too! More to come!_


	6. A Time to Heal

_A/N Thanks as usual for all of the reviews! I'm glad you all like the last chapter because I just never could get it tweaked the way I wanted it:D This one will be a little longer and more extensive. It's cold and dreary here today and a good day for writing._

**Chapter 6 A Time To Heal**

_4 days later………………….._

Stella hits the button on the elevator in deep thought……………………… It has been a long 5 days. She can't believe that Mac is out in a room and sitting up in a chair and getting close to the point of going home. The doctors still have some concerns about the headaches he is having, but the soreness and bruising from the rest of his body is almost totally gone. The hair in the back where they shaved his head for the staples is already growing back. She knows he is beyond ready to go home. He's been irritable from being cooped up in the hospital. The elevator stops on the 4th floor and a priest steps on and speaks to her. When he turns around, Stella leans back against the wall and wonders if God is trying to tell her something. She's thought constantly that she should be telling Mac how she feels. She remembers clearly that promise she made to God at Mac's bedside the night of the accident. She's been to see Mac every day, but the timing never seems right. He has been trying to keep up with Ashley and her progress. He's been trying to work from the hospital. He's been so quiet and she can't help but wonder if he is thinking about Claire. The elevator doors open and Stella steps off deciding that when the time is right, she'll talk to Mac.

Mac is looking out the window of his room brooding. He's so tired of sitting in this damned chair. He can't stand people having to wait on him. He has to admit that his day is brighter every time Stella walks in the room. He smiles thinking about the fact that she has been here every day. She is the only person he's really let take care of him, but with her it just feels so natural. Nothing has felt that natural since ………………….Claire. He leans his head back and closes his eyes. _What the hell are you doing, Taylor……….._

Stella steps in the room and wonders if Mac is sleeping. His eyes are closed and his head is leaned back against the hospital recliner. She tries to walk in quietly, but he hears her heels click and raises up.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" she smiles and says. Mac smiles back. "No, I was just thinking."

"You've had a lot of time for that the past few days, huh?" she says sitting down on the side of the bed.

Mac rakes his hands through his hair. "I swear if they don't let me go home soon, I'm going to go AWOL. I've got to get out of here." Stella gives him an understanding smile.

"They are saying maybe tomorrow, huh? You can make it one more day. Have they done another CT Scan today?" She asks.

Mac nods, "They did and they said it was normal. The brain swelling is gone and they don't really know about the headaches. Dr. Lassiter, the neurologist, told me that it could just be a result of the head trauma. He said they would treat them with migraine medicine and see how that works." He shrugs, "I can live with the headaches. I just want to get my life back to normal. I know you are tired of babysitting."

Stella smirks at him. "Babysitting? Is that what you think I am doing?"

Mac could see that he'd raised her defenses. "No, Stella, I don't mean that to be offensive. I'm just saying that you have been here every day and put your life on hold for me and you shouldn't have had to do that. You need your life back."

Stella looks past him out the window. She wants to throttle him. Another part of her wants to cry. "Did it ever occur to you that I've been here because I wanted to be?"

Mac shakes his head. "At a hospital? In a waiting area? In hard chairs for hours on end. Horrible food. Bad coffee. Yeah………I'm sure you wanted to be here."

Stella tries to fight back the hurt. Does he honestly have no idea? She wonders what kind of damage her honesty would do to their friendship and their working relationship. She wants to yell at him and just tell him everything that is in her heart and yet she sits there, unable to form the words.

Mac looks at her, "I do appreciate it though, Stella. I don't mean to sound ungrateful."

Stella's voice cracks on her response, "Glad I could help." Before she could help it, tears were sliding down her cheeks.

Mac raises up in the chair and realizes something is really wrong here. He gets the feeling he is really missing the boat. He holds on to the arms of the chair because what he really wants to do is grab her and wipe her tears and kiss her hair. He shakes his head wondering where all this keeps coming from. He's had these thoughts over the past year, but they just keep magnifying. "Stella, why are you crying? Talk to me."

Stella looks at him and gives him a bitter, hurt laugh. "Mac, I watched you fall off of a 4 story building. I looked over the roof to see Danny checking for a pulse. You were unconscious and still and I thought you were dead. I have never been so terrified in my life. I went down those stairs with Don and I swear it seemed like those stairs would never end." She was sobbing now. Mac feels a lump in his throat as he watches her raw pain. He realizes he has been so focused on himself that he hasn't even though about what his team has gone through. The fear and emotion they'd all been battling all week had not been mentioned by any of them. Until now, as he watched Stella cry openly.

She takes a deep gulping breath and continues, "They loaded you on the ambulance and there was blood everywhere. We were all so scared that we couldn't even comfort each other. You weren't moving and we had no idea if you were going to live or die. So, while you were unconscious, Mac, I was realizing how important you are to me and how horribly devastated I would be if you weren't in my life anymore. You've been a dynamic boss, a treasured friend, and I care about you more than you will ever know and more than I ever realized. So _forgive me_, Mac, if I am offended that you think I am your babysitter. I've been here because I thank God for saving you and every day that you get better is a day closer to having the Mac back that I know and love. I've wanted to be a part of that. Your nurse can _baby-sit_ you. I've been here because I care. So much more than I wish I did."

And with that, Stella gets up and leaves the room.

"Stella!" Mac yells after her. He gets up out of the chair and is so dizzy he can't move. He sits back down and puts his head in his hands. He kicks his slippers across the room. The dizziness eases off and Mac realizes his cheeks are wet. He is crying without even realizing it. He tries to organize his thoughts.

"_What a selfish man I am. I've been so caught up in my own needs that it never occurred to me what anyone else was going through. Did Stella say she loved me? How do I fix this mess? Can I ever make her understand now that I wanted her here with me? That she was my lifeline and I could have never gotten through this without her. I really think she said the word love. Do I love her? I sure feel something for her. I know that when she was crying and it was because of me, I felt like the most wretched man in the world. I've got to talk to her. I've got make this right. Where did she go? She's got to come back."_

Mac picks up the phone and dials Stella's cell. It went straight to voice mail. He dials again to call Flack to see if he can find Stella. Danny walks in the door. "Hey Danny. You are just in time. Have you seen Stella?" Mac says. Danny nods and tells Mac that she and Lindsay are down in the lobby. Mac breathes a sigh of relief. "Was she OK?"

Danny looks at his boss and wonders what in the world is going on. "Yeah, Mac. She seemed OK to me. Her and Lindsay just started talking about this flower arrangement in the gift shop and that was too much estrogen for me so I told them I was coming on up."

"_OK, maybe she'll come back up with Lindsay. Just wait it out." He thought to himself_.

Danny looks hard at Mac. "Are you OK Mac, you look a little pale?"

Mac laughs, "Yeah, Danny I'm fine. As good as I can be after having a good woman put me in my place anyway."

Danny cackles in laughter, "Ohhhhhhhhhh! I get it! No wonder you're pale." They both laugh. "So, Mac, I hear you're getting' outta here tomorrow." Danny says, deciding to leave the fight with Stella alone. He could tell Mac was worried about it. Danny wants to ask more questions, but doesn't think it's his place to do that.

"Yeah, I hope so. I can't stand this. I hate being stuck here. I need to be at work. There's so much to do."

Danny clears his throat, "You know………uh……….Mac, we're doing OK at work. We're carrying double loads and we for sure miss you, but you've……..um………you've taught us well."

Mac looks at Danny, stunned. "Thanks Danny. You're the last person I thought would ever say that to me."

Danny looks out the window and chews his bottom lip. He can't believe he's doing this,"If I hadn't seen you fall off that building Mac, I prolly never woulda told ya. I gotta tell you though, man, when I thought you might be dead, it scared me. I want to say that I'm sorry for all the times I have butted heads with you. I can't say that I agree with every decision you have made, but you've been more of a father to me than my own father ever was and I'm sorry for the times I've let ya down." Danny says with a voice so thick with emotion that he can hardly swallow.

Mac is afraid to speak because tears are pooled in his eyes. "You're a good man, Danny. You're a damned good CSI. I ride you hard because I believe in you. We're gonna let each other down sometimes, but I'm proud of you."

Danny jumps up because tears begin to fall. He slaps at his face and turns away from Mac who is still trying to hold his tears in. "So, uh…………Mac, you need me to go find Stella?"

Mac gives Danny the escape he needs. "Yeah, if you don't mind. I need to talk to her."

Danny turns his pacing toward the door and says quickly as he's leaving, never looking back at Mac, "Ok, I'll go find her and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Lindsay rode with me so she'll see you tomorrow too."

Mac grins because Danny is already gone. The kid can't handle emotion and Mac realizes how much that reminds him of himself.

Danny gets downstairs and meets Lindsay about to get on the elevator. "Where is Stella?" he asks Lindsay. Lindsay points to the door. "She just left; she is going to the office." Danny tells Lindsay to come with him and he runs out the door. Lindsay follows him wondering what the heck is going on. Danny sees Stella unlocking her car door.

"Stella, hold up!" he yells. Stella turns around with a surprised look on her face. "What in the world…………" she asks as Lindsay catches up with Danny who has already reached Stella's car.

"You need to go back upstairs, Stella. Mac needs to talk to you."

Stella wonders how much Danny knows and what has brought this on. "Lindsay was on her way up to see Mac. He has you guys so I am going to the office for a while."

Lindsay pipes up, "Yeah! I was on my way up when Danny came off the elevator and told me to come with him to find you."

Stella looks back at Danny. Danny says, "Look Stella. I dunno what went down with you and Mac. Alls I know is he is up there looking as sad as you are and he told me that a good woman had put him in his place. You were the only woman up there so I am deducting that was you. He was on the phone trying to call Flack to find you because you didn't answer your phone when I walked in. He's in no shape to come running after you but he asked me to ask you to come back."

Stella isn't sure whether to be flattered about what Mac had said to Danny or feel guilty because she has run out on Mac knowing good and well he couldn't chase her if he'd wanted to. Maybe that was the reality, she was afraid he wouldn't have wanted to.

"OK. I'll go back up there. Are you guys coming?" she says closing the car door slowly.

Lindsay looks to Danny catching on to the seriousness of the situation. Danny tells Stella that he's told Mac that he and Lindsay had ridden together and they'd talk to him more tomorrow when he got to leave. Lindsay nods to Stella.

Danny smiles at her and says, "He's waiting on you Stella. We'll see you tomorrow."

_**TBC! **_

_**OK, so that was a little longer than I'd expected. I didn't plan on the Mac/Danny conversation it just kinda came to me as I was writing. Please read and review! More soon! This story only has a few chapters left! Susan**_


	7. A Time to Love

_A/N I have to confess that I actually wrote this one at the same time I did Chapter 6, but I felt like they needed to be divided up. I also wanted some time in between. I know it's just a story and isn't that emotionall to everyone, but I always tend to pour everything into my stories and the CH. 6 and especially this one, I even found myself crying while writing. Bizarre huh? So anyway…………….I think this is the next to last Chapter. I just have to figure out how to end the story……..HA HA HA HA I keep interchanging ideas._

_There's a cool note at the end, but it would mess up the story to tell you before. Anyway……….guess I should leave the rambling to my LJ and just get on with the story……….Enjoy!_

**Chapter 7 A Time to Love**

"Mac?" Stella says as she walks in the door slowly.

Mac looks at her and says, "Will you please come and sit down for a minute?" Stella bites her upper lip and walks over to sit down on the bed right beside him. He's gotten back in the bed and has it sitting all the way up. She sits down and faces him. She tries to read his eyes and as usual, can't tell a thing.

Mac says quietly, "I owe you an apology. I'm sorry that I've been so selfish. I never gave a thought to how hard this must have been for you."

Stella chokes up and shakes her head. "It's OK, Mac………"

He interrupts her and says firmly, "No, it's not Ok." She looks up at him and lets a tear slide down her cheek. "I needed you here Stella. You have been a lifeline for me during all of this. Your calm voice was soothing every time I thought I was going to lose it. I just hate that you've had to give up so much time and just all that stuff but I said it all wrong. I'm sorry for that. You have been so much more than a babysitter. I was just cranky and I'm just sorry."

Stella smiles through her tears. "I know this has been so hard for you Mac. On top of the injury and being closed up in here, I know this is hard. I know that hospitals remind you of searching for Claire. I'd come in and see you staring out the window. I felt sure you were thinking about her and missing her and I felt like I was intruding. I just couldn't stay away."

Mac shakes his head and looks down. He licks his bottom lip, chews on it and then looks back up at Stella. "You're wrong Stella. At least about one thing." She raises her eyebrows at him." When I was staring out the window. I wasn't thinking about Claire. I'll miss her until the day that I die, but that doesn't consume me anymore."

Stella watches his face and sees that he means that. "So, what thoughts was it I was intruding on? I know it was something."

He clears his throat and looks Stella in the face, "I was thinking about you."

Stella feels like time has stopped right in front of her. She can feel her heart beating in her throat but everything else seems to have stopped. "Me?..." she said in almost a whisper.

Mac nods. "Yeah. You. I was thinking about when you were coming back or how long you'd been gone and when it all started mattering so much. I don't know when it started mattering so much Stella, but it did. I care about you."

Stella leans her head back to try to reign in the tears. "Well, thank you God. I was beginning to think it was just me." She lets a laugh escape her. "Only, I think I know when it changed for me."

Mac raises an eyebrow. "Really? When?"

Stella looks to the side and smiles in remembrance. "Do you remember the night we were both going out on dates and I took your tie off and straightened your shirt?" Mac smiles at the memory. He nods, "Yes I remember that night well. Not because the date was that great though."

Stella reaches over and takes Mac's hand. "I was straightening your shirt and my insides were boiling. I thought you were the sexiest man right then that I had ever seen. I was so touched by you and your love for Claire and for your willingness to move on and know when it was time to do that. And I watched you walk away and felt completely empty because I wanted to be the woman with you that night……………….and I've battled with my heart about you ever since."

Mac takes his free hand and reaches up and wipes a tear from Stella's' face. "Well, I have a confession." He says with a smile. "I caught my breath when you walked in the room that night. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. When you were standing in front of me and I could smell your perfume, it took every ounce of my willpower to not kiss you right then. I really wanted to. Now I wish I had…………."

Stella laughs and can not believe they'd both felt it that night. "I knew, Mac. I knew you'd felt the jolt of something. Did you know? Could you tell I'd felt it too?"

Mac smiles and nods, "Yeah. I could tell. I just kept telling myself that a workplace romance would be doomed from the beginning."

Stella's look gets really serious, "And now?"

Mac thinks for a minute, "I fell off of a building and almost died. I have a new outlook on a lot of things. Policies can be re-written, relationships can start out discreet, but I won't walk away from what's in my heart right now. Not this time." He grins and says, "If that's Ok with you?"

Stella's grin spreads across her entire face, "Yeah, that's very OK with me."

Mac starts moving to get up. "I need to stand up for a minute." Stella was afraid he was hurting since he was killing the moment so she jumps up and helps him stand up and get past the dizziness.

"Now, that's better." Mac says with a smile. He reaches for Stella's hand and pulls her closer into his arms. He takes his hands and cups her cheeks and pulls her mouth up to his. He kisses her slowly at first and then deeper and longer. Stella lets her hand slide up to his chest. She can feel the tingling all the way to her toes. He kissed her long and hard and neither of them wanted to stop.

"Ahem……………………."

Stella and Mac both jump. Stella's face turns blood red as she turns to see a grinning Don Flack propped up in the doorway.

"Yeah, I was gonna let you guys finish, but I've been standing here for like 20 minutes and I got tired of watching…………." Flack says quite amused by the look on both of their faces.

"It was _NOT_ 20 minutes………" Stella says glaring at Flack.

Flack and Mac both start laughing. Mac says, "Stella and I have had a long talk today, Don."

Flack winks at Stella and says, "No offense, Mac but that didn't look like talking to me!"

Stella looks mortified and Mac looks over at her and smiles and then says to Flack, "Yeah, well you just got to see the exclamation point at the end."

Stella laughs and looks over at Mac with a big smile realizing that he is not bothered by Flack catching them at all. Flack is laughing hard, "That was a good one, Mac! I'm gonna have to use that one!"

"In all seriousness Don, I will have to discuss this relationship with my team. The kiss you walked in on was the first we've ever shared, but it won't be the last. If you don't mind, just let me tell my team before you enjoy the razzing. I'm OK with the razzing if you can just hold off on it for a few days." Mac says.

Flack still grinning says, "Absolutely. I think that's awesome Mac. You two are perfect for each other. My lips are sealed……………for now. I gotta get back to the office. Just wanted to check in. I saw your doc in the hall and he said you were going home tomorrow. You coming by the office?"

Mac looks at Stella, "You'll have to ask my driver." Stella smiles at his willingness to let her take care of him. "Sure, we'll stop by."

Flack nods, steps out to leave and says, "OK, carry on with what you were doing, I'll see you tomorrow."

Stella looks to Mac and shakes her head laughing. She slips her arms around his neck. "Where were we Detective Taylor?" He reaches up and puts a finger on her lips, "I think right here." He leans down and kisses her again and before he can even blink, Mac Taylor forgets that he is in a hospital and that he is injured. He just loses himself in the woman in front of him.

_**Ta Dah! Love, Love, Love. Only one more chapter! And no worries, D/L fans………..I'm not through with them yet either! Please read and review! More soon!**_

**_Another A/ N Ok……….It is 8:20 on a Sat night and I just have to share this! Now that you have read this!( I waited to post it to put some time in between chapters for people to get caught up. So this will be a time lapse, but going back….. ) However………….I was whining because I didn't have plans tonight and I flipped the TV on about 7:45 and it was advertising CSI:NY coming on on a special night. I was all excited and it just came on and YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHICH EPISODE IT IS! Yep! "What You See is What You See". I am laughing so hard and totally excited! As soon as I referred to part of that scene, I get to re-watch it! That's my little happy for the night and I'm done! LOL!_**


	8. Rain Check

_A/N Ok, I lied…………. There have to be 2 more chapters! I couldn't get it all in one! I promise I will post them close together **if you will review this one**! I thought we needed a little light and fluffy chapter after all the emotion, plus I wanted to tie up loose ends here before ending the story. The first part of this is especially for the crew over at the Talk CSI forum on the Danny and Lindsay Shipper Thread. The terminology is borrowed and I will credit at the end of the chapter. Enjoy the fluff! The end comes next! I'll post it later tonight!_

**Chapter 8 Rain Check**

Danny walks out of the lab and sees Lindsay headed to the locker room. "Lindsay! You about ready to roll?" She holds up 2 fingers and yells "two minutes" back at him. Danny goes to get his bag and get ready to go. He and Lindsay had gotten a page right after Stella left them to go back up and see Mac. They've been working on this case all day and have barely seen each other. He was glad they'd at least ridden together so he knew they had to leave together. He changes his shirt, grabs his bag, turns around and walks right into Lindsay.

"Don't leave yet! Let me get changed! Stella called and told me that Mac is getting out of the hospital tomorrow and they are coming by the office. We're going to do balloons and stuff." Lindsay tells him all excitedly.

Danny rolls his eyes and follows her back into the locker room. "Yeah, Monroe! That's exactly what Mac's gonna want! You know he has no desire to be the center of attention!"

Lindsay opens her locker and starts throwing stuff in and pulling it out while talking rapidly. Danny couldn't help but grin at her. "Danny, it's not about making him the center of attention. He almost died! It's just a little bit of appreciation for our boss who beat the odds, ya know?...He'll be fine!"

Danny sits down on the bench and raises his eyebrows, "If you and Stella say so. I ain't arguin' with _two_ women! I wasn't raised just yesterday! ……………So did Stella say how the talk with Mac went?"

Lindsay smiles a smile that reminds him of high school. "She said that they talked about a lot and that everything was fine, but it was _HOW_ she said it that made me know things were _really_ good."

Danny looks at Lindsay like she has lost her mind. "Oh yeah? So………..uh…………how exactly did she say it? I'm not sure I'm followin' that!" he says with a smirk.

Lindsay throws a towel at him and closes her locker. "Smart ass! So what are _we _doing tonight?" Danny gets up and says, "Ohhhhhhh, are you finally ready to go, Montana? Ya think we can leave this place now. I was planning on the rain check on that sex tonight. What're you thinkin' about that?" he says licking his lips and stifling a laugh.

Lindsay knows he is trying to get her riled up to argue and decides to play along. Partly because she wants to dish it back to him and partly because every time he says the word "sex" her body reacts. They are walking out of the locker room headed out and Lindsay tries not to smile and says, "I'm thinking I haven't had any in a while and you'll do. Hell, why wait. There's a broom closet on the way out!" She laughs out loud as she watches Danny's eyes get huge and the shock register on his face. Danny realizes she is yanking his chain and retorts, "You can't handle that Montana!"

Lindsay's mouth drops open, pride and competition kicks in and she forgets to even think about the consequences, "Wow, Messer you sure are full of yourself." They get to the broom closet and Lindsay yanks open the door, "Now who can't handle it?"

Danny gives a cackle of shock and excitement all in one breath. This girl has guts! "Get outta here……………….I'll have you screamin' my name and moanin' and groanin' and we'll get busted because people will walk by and think we have moaning brooms around here and open the door to check it out. "

Lindsay can't help but laugh at him, "Your loss Messer. I offered. I think you are a chicken." She lets the door go and starts to walk off with a huge grin on her face, knowing exactly what Danny would do next.

Danny grabs her, pushes her in the closet, shuts the door, flips the light, and presses her back into the wall tripping over a mop bucket and brooms. He kisses her long and hard with his hands wrapping around her waist. Lindsay's body is on fire and she wonders if she is going to even be able to breathe. She kisses him back and grabs the front of his shirt pulling him close to her. About the time she feels his body react and her own reaction meet his, he stops kissing her and pulls away.

Lindsay looks at him with glazed eyes, "What is it?"

Danny reaches up and puts a hand on her cheek. "This was funny, Lindsay. I'm hot and bothered and you made your point. I want you and I have no desire for the first time I make love to you to be in a broom closet. Next week maybe, "he says and grins," but not tonight. Tonight I want to take you home and do this right. Nice and slow and right."

Lindsay pushes him back so she can straighten up. She straightens her shirt and straightens his. "Who knew? Danny Messer can be a gentleman," she flashes him a bright smile. "It smells like Lysol in here anyway. Let's go home."

Danny opens the door and peaks out to be sure that no one is around and grabs Lindsay's hand and pulls her out of the closet. They both giggle as they walk down the hall. They walk out into the parking lot and Lindsay squeezes his hand and says, "Wellllllllll, that was the best sex I never had!" Danny laughed so hard she thought he was going to wet his pants.

Danny tells Lindsay that he took a long lunch and straightened his apartment today and asks her if she is willing to go by there for dinner. She is really impressed with his effort and agrees.

She looks at Danny as they walk up the stairs to his apartment and wonders why he looks nervous. He opens the door and motions her to go on in and her mouth opens in shock. There is a nice table in the middle of his living room with a dozen roses and two candles in the middle. Lindsay looks at Danny with an awestruck look. "You did all of this at lunch?"

Danny shrugs and smiles. "Yeah. I have a little 75 year old neighbor, Miss Lilly that checks in on me all the time. When I told her I wanted to surprise my girlfriend with something special, she was all over it. I told her what I wanted and made the calls to get it all here and she set it up for us." Lindsay doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. She wonders how in the world this man goes from being an arrogant smart ass into being a die hard romantic with very little effort. She thinks all this drama can be very exciting!

"Miss Lilly huh?" she says, still in awe.

Danny walks over and picks up the delicate china plate. He grins and says, "Miss Lilly's china too. Not bad eh?" Lindsay starts giggling and he walks to the kitchen and before she can follow he yells back to her, "Have a seat! She cooked dinner too. Let me check the oven and I'll tell you what we are having!"

Lindsay sits down and it stunned to see Danny bring the food in, serve the meal, and wait on her hand and foot. They eat and talk about work and Mac's healing and just small talk. They both are overwhelmed at how natural and comfortable this is. They finish the meal and Danny tells Lindsay that he has bought her an outfit if she wants to go change. She looks at him like he is crazy. He shrugs and grins sheepishly, "I was banking on you staying the night. If not, then you just have a new outfit." She wants to be angry at him for assuming she'd be that easy, but she knows that she has wanted him to touch her again ever since he let her go in that dumb broom closet. She walks to his bedroom and sees a really nice pale pink velour sweat suit. She can't believe it, but the outfit is even something she would have picked out! It was soft and comfortable and even cute. She changes and stands there for a minute just trying to get her thoughts together. She never lets any relationship go this fast, but somehow with Danny, it just seems so right. "Besides," she thinks to herself……………"it has been awhile." She smiles and walks back in to see Danny sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

"You look nice," he says.

She sits down and snuggles up nest to him. "So, did Miss Lilly pick this outfit out too?"

Danny pretends to look horrified, "Hell, no! Miss Lilly has no idea you are staying the night! She wouldn't approve of our slumber party." Lindsay throws her head back and laughs at him. "You're so cute, Danny."

He blushes a little, "Cute enough to kiss?" he says. She turns her head up and kisses him. They kiss softly at first and then things get heated really fast. Within minutes he has her jacket off and she has her hand in his shirt. He stops and looks at her and says, "Lindsay, are you sure?' She looks him in the eye and says, "I'm sure. I want you Danny. I want so much from you, but I'll start with this." She smiles and gets up and pulls him toward the bedroom. Danny lays her down on the bed gently and makes every move slowly to the point of driving them both crazy. He wants to savor every moment of undressing and making love to Lindsay Monroe. He carries her to heights that neither of them has ever been. He makes love to her once, twice and three times and she feels like she is drowning in him.

Afterwards, she lay in the crook of his arm and he is content to just hold her close. "You OK?" he whispers in her ear. She smiles up at him, "Yeah. I'm better than OK."

"Any regrets?" he asks her.

"No, Danny. I have no regrets. What about you?"

He grins once he realizes that they are OK. "I'm not regretting anything Montana. I'm thinking we gotta keep this up. I swear to God, I think an angel gets its wings every time I make love to you. It makes me not ever want to let you go." She leans up and kisses him again.

They lay there quietly for awhile and he leans down and kisses her forehead. "Since I screwed everything up the last time we tried to talk about our relationship. I think I'll try to get a head start and see if I can do better this time." She giggles beneath him. "I'm crazy about you, Montana. I didn't do all of this for just the sex or just to get you in bed. I want to be with you and I want to see where this goes. I don't want either of us to have any regrets, but I find that I can't keep my hands off of you and I didn't want to push but I just couldn't help myself."

Lindsay reaches up to rub his arm that is draped across her chest. "I don't make it habit of going to bed with someone this soon, Danny. I just can't explain what you do to me. It just feels right and I don't want to have regrets either. We are just going to have to work as hard about the relationship part as we do the sex part." Danny nods at her.

Lindsay thinks for a minute. "Danny, what about work?" Danny sighs. "I don't know, baby. I think if we keep it discreet and see what happens then maybe it won't be an issue."

Lindsay says, "It may be an issue with Mac and Stella too." Danny looks at her a little surprised. "Do you really think so?"

Lindsay shrugs. "Can't you see they love each other Danny? I know I'm not dreaming."

Danny thinks about it. 'They've always been close. I definitely saw Stella fall apart when Mac got hurt. I've never seen Stella that frantic. She obviously cares about him and vice versa, but I just can't see Mac letting anything happen."

Lindsay shakes her head. "I think you're wrong. I would have agreed before the accident. I just think that Mac almost losing his life and realizing he might have lost her before ever even having her made him realize how much he cared. I don't think he will walk away from that now."

Danny hugs Lindsay closer to him. "I guess we'll see tomorrow. I hope you're right. That would be beneficial to us……………..and I think they'd be perfect together."

_A very special Thank You to Amrita, **Adamsgirl1**, for the line about angels getting their wings every time……………She was the creative writer behind that line and gave me persmission to use it._

_Also I think the originator of the moaning brooms was **JorjaFan86** and the scenario for the broom closet came from various people in the D/L shipper Thread. This is a shout out for them!_

_Please read and review the light and fluffy chapter and I'll close Love's Journey out in the next one!_


	9. Key to my Heart

_A/N It's almost sad to bring this to a close. I've really enjoyed writing this story. I have to say that half the joy in writing it was the good feedback and the ideas given to me and the grace you've all given towards my writing. Thanks for the journey. Enjoy the ending!_

**Chapter 9 Key to my Heart**

_The next day………._

Danny, Flack, and Hawkes drink their coffee as they stand around Mac's office waiting on Stella to bring him by. Lindsay is doing the finishing touches on her red, white, and blue balloons. She's hung a big "Welcome Back, Mac" sign over his door. Danny is enjoying watching her excitement. She was so proud of herself for getting the red, white, and blue balloons since Mac had been a Marine. Danny thought she was going to punch Flack when he walked in earlier and said it looked like someone had upchucked the American Flag all over Mac's office. Danny had to turn his head to not laugh! He laughs now thinking about it. He just knows better than to let Lindsay see him laughing!

Sid Hammerback is coming down the hall and informs the crew that "the boss" is coming in. Everyone rushes to get in their places and wait.

Stella and Mac are chatting comfortably walking down to the office. Stella is smiling to herself because she knows Mac has no idea everyone is piled in his office. She looks at how attractive he is in his blue jeans and cobalt blue shirt. She tries to remember if she's ever even seen him in blue jeans. Nah……………….she would have remembered. She makes a mental note to tell Sheldon he did a darned good job when he brought Mac some clothes!

They get to the office and Stella steps back a little as Mac walks in. "Welcome Back!" they all shout at him. His face colors a little and he nods at them. "Thanks guys. It's good to be back."

Lindsay walks up and hugs him. "You look great! Are you feeling OK?"

Mac addresses the group. "Thanks Lindsay. I feel a lot better and they tell me that the headaches should start easing off and becoming more infrequent. I have to get through the weekend and I'll be back at work full force on Monday. From what I've heard, you all have carried this place beautifully while I was out."

Danny piped up, "Like I told ya, Mac. You taught us well." Everyone in the room either nodded or spoke agreement. Mac looked down and smiled a small smile.

"Thank you. We've got some things to talk about in the coming days. All of this has made me realize some things and I've learned that every day is important. When I come back next week I'll be talking to my team again." Stella holds her breath and Flack coughs in the corner. Stella then throws Flack a look and Mac gives him a grin. Danny and Lindsay look at each other and Lindsay gives him a smug, "I told you so" look.

Mac continues, "Thanks again for everything. I'll be leaving in a few minutes so you all can head back to work. I'll see you all on Monday." As people start filing out, Danny is intently watching Mac and Stella. There was something about the way they looked at one another. He is still watching them when Flack goes up and quietly says to Mac, "I think you have lipstick on your mouth," as he is going out the door. Mac and Stella both reach up to wipe their mouths. Flack laughs and says, "Just kidding…………." And waves at them as he's leaving.

It was enough to nudge Danny. He took Lindsay's hand and walked up to them. "Mac, uh………..when you get back, Lindsay and I need to meet with you." Mac looks at the two of them and knows exactly what is going on. He smiles at them and says, "I guess a near death experience makes everyone's heart vulnerable, huh?" Stella smiles at him and then at the younger couple. Danny and Lindsay both nod. Mac says, "Just keep it out of the workplace and be as discreet as you can and we'll talk more next week. I've got to figure out how to handle all of this."

Danny shakes his hand and says, "Thanks Mac. I appreciate it. Get some rest this weekend and don't over do it. See ya Monday." He and Lindsay leave trying very hard not to touch each other and look professional.

Stella turns to Mac and smiles. "Well, Detective Taylor, how are you going to get out of this one? You now have two couples in your workplace."

Mac blows out his breath and laughs. "I have no idea what I am going to do, but I've got until Monday to figure it out. You hungry? We can get something to eat and when you take me home you can visit for awhile."

Stella bites her bottom lip. "I'm hungry Mac, but I'm also exhausted. How about we pick up Chinese and eat at your place where we can relax?" He touches her arm to guide her out the door, "Good idea. Let's get out of here."

They sit on the couch and watch the fireplace. "That was wonderful. I didn't realize just how bad the hospital food was." Mac says as he kicks his feet up on the coffee table.

Stella nods at him and gets up to start cleaning up. Mac reaches for her arm. "Stella, leave it. It can wait. Come here." He pulls her down beside him and puts his arms around her drawing her to him. She lays her head on his shoulder and feels her body react just to the scent of him.

"I could lay like this forever, Mac." She says quietly.

"Well, I have no intention of you moving any time soon," he whispers into her hair. She looks up at him and he leans down and gives her a warm, sensuous kiss. She lets her hand trail up his chest and he slowly stops her hand.

She raises up and looks at him. "It's too soon isn't it Mac?"

Mac smiles at her and shakes his head. "No Stella, it's not too soon. It's just that it has been a very long time since I was with a woman. You know that or at least you suspected it. I think it's time and I want you. I want you to stay tonight and I want it to start right here right now. The reason I am stopping you here is because I want to be sure you want the same thing. You are a beautiful woman, Stella, and I've come home to some cold showers because of you many nights." He gives her time to let the surprise register on her face and continues, " I want to love you completely, but if you aren't ready………….now is the time to say so because it won't take much more until I am at a point of not turning back from it." Stella watches his face and sees the truth of his heart in his eyes. This man truly does love her and she sees that. She smiles at him and leans up to kiss him stopping just as she gets to his mouth and whispering, "I've been ready for a long time, Mac Taylor, and I've had my share of cold showers too."

He kisses her softly and leans back to look in her eyes. He reaches up and brushes a curl back from her face. "Ah, Stella, this is going to be an incredible journey. You hold the key to my heart. I never thought it could be unlocked again."

"Love is a never ending journey too, Mac. We have the rest of the journey to figure it all out." She kisses him again and puts her hand back on his chest. She allows her hand to slide up his shirt and feel the warmth of his chest. She trails her fingers through the hair on his chest and Mac thinks he may lose control before he wants to. He returns her kiss more passionately and starts to explore her as well. Stella lets her hand trail down his chest and unbuttons his jeans. Mac starts to say something and she slides her hand into his jeans and feels his hardness. A groan escapes his throat and he says her name in a way that she hopes she never forgets. Mac thinks her hands must be on fire and he pulls her up before he loses control and walks her to the bedroom. "Let me show you the rest of the place, "he says with a smile. Stella flips the light off as they start down the hallway.

"I thought you'd never ask……….." she murmurs into his ear.

_El Finito!_

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_I'm not very good at writing explicit stuff. I like to let the imagination carry over. I hope you enjoyed the story! Please read and review and I appreciate every comment that everyone has made! Thank you to the ones who added this story to your favorites list! That means a lot! You all are awesome! Susan_


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